Current Account

Investment income (profits, dividends and interest on assets abroad). Money from the use of capital abroad.

Transfers including aid, remittances (money sent to relatives abroad) and EU contributions.

Current Account Surplus and Deficit

A current account surplus means the exports of goods and services is greater than the imports of goods and services and money flows into the domestic economy.

A current account deficit means the imports of goods and services is greater than the exports of goods and services and money flows out of the domestic economy.

Causes of a Current Account Deficit

Many factors could cause a current account deficit:

Exchange Rate Appreciation. An appreciation/rise in the domestic country’s exchange rate means the domestic economy becomes less internationally price competitive, exports become dearer and fall, imports become cheaper and rise so the current account moves towards a deficit.

Global Recession. A global recession means foreign consumers have a lower income so they buy less UK exports, UK exports fall and the current account moves towards a deficit.

Poor Quality Goods. If the quality of the domestic economy’s goods falls, foreign consumers will demand less of the domestic economy’s goods so exports fall, domestic consumers buy more foreign goods so imports rise, and the current account moves towards a deficit.

Inflation. A rise in country A’s inflation makes A’s goods less internationally price competitive, exports are dearer and fall, imports are cheaper and rise so the current account moves towards a deficit.

Domestic Income. A rise in the domestic country’s income means consumers buy more domestic and foreign goods so imports rise, domestic firms sell more to domestic consumers so exports fall, and the current account moves towards a deficit.

The Significance of a Current Account Deficit

A current account deficit may or may not be a problem, it depends on the size of the deficit and what caused the deficit.

If the current account deficit is small and sustainable then it is not a problem, the domestic economy can easily fund it. A large sustainable current account deficit is not a problem because the domestic economy can fund it. Moreover, a current account deficit may not be a problem if the domestic economy imports a lot of capital goods. Machinery may be imported so the domestic economy’s productive capacity rises, LRAS shifts right and in the future the domestic economy can produce more consumer goods for its domestic consumers so its imports fall and the domestic economy can sell more consumer goods to foreign consumers so the domestic economy’s exports rise.

A current account deficit could be a sign that the economy is growing because economic growth means incomes rise and consumers buy more imports. Although, a current account deficit could be a sign that the economy is in a recession (so it is not producing enough exports).

Additionally, a current account deficit may be a problem because it indicates that the domestic economy’s goods are not internationally competitive. Maybe the domestic economy’s goods are poor quality relative to the rest of the world.

A current account deficit may also be a problem because if an economy is producing too little exports then there may not be enough jobs and unemployment may be too high.

A large and unsustainable current account deficit is a problem because money is leaving the economy. An economy could fund the current account deficit by borrowing international money from foreign banks. But, if there is a large and persistent current account deficit, creditors may soon deem the economy more risky as there is a higher chance of default. Credit worthiness falls, interest rates rise so the cost of borrowing international money rises, it becomes more difficult for the economy to repay its foreign debt, the risk of default rises further, credit worthiness falls further and the loop spirals out of control. Eventually the economy must reduce its imports.

A current account surplus may even be a problem because it may mean that the domestic economy is producing goods for foreign consumers rather than domestic consumers. Also, a large current account surplus for the domestic economy means other countries have a current account deficit, this could cause trade frictions and disputes.